Slithering 2-foot-long stowaway lurked in Christmas tree shipment, Hawaii officials say
A slithering 2-foot-long creature was found lurking in a shipment of Christmas trees to Hawaii, officials say.
Workers of a Hilo store had unloaded about half of a shipment of Christmas trees the morning of Saturday, Nov. 16, when they spotted a snake, the Hawai’i Department of Agriculture said in a Nov. 20 news release.
The workers promptly closed the container and called the department.
Agriculture inspectors captured the 2-foot-long snake, which was identified as a non-venomous gopher snake, officials said.
The inspectors then “checked every Christmas tree and the inside of the container” but found no additional snakes, officials said.
“Although Plant Quarantine inspectors open every container of Christmas trees and wreaths that arrive and conduct an inspection, we do not have the resources to inspect every item in each container,” Sharon Hurd with the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture said in the release.
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The snake will eventually be taken to Honolulu, officials said.
Native to North America, gopher snakes can grow to be about 7 feet in length, officials said.
The species eats “small rodents, young rabbits, lizards, birds and their eggs,” officials said.
Snakes, along with other large reptiles, do not have natural predators on the island, officials said.
As many snake species prey on birds and their eggs, they pose a threat to endangered native birds, officials said.
The animals also “compete with native animals for food and habitat,” according to officials.
“Large snakes may also be a threat to humans and small pets,” officials said.
This story was originally published November 21, 2024 at 1:23 PM with the headline "Slithering 2-foot-long stowaway lurked in Christmas tree shipment, Hawaii officials say."
